Missing Flowers
by Osidiano
Summary: Drabble entry for The-Fanfic-Alliance's latest contest on DA. Umi and her brother take Razuludo out to celebrate his first hanami, but he doesn't seem very impressed. It appears that someone is missing a very particular flower.


Disclaimer/Note: I do not own MeruPuri or any of the characters involved in this story. They belong to the manga's creator, Hino Matsuri, and no copyright infringement was intended. This story is an entry in The-Fanfic-Alliance's Spring Celebrations contest, and was written solely for the amusement of those choosing to read it. No money was made from its creation. All original concepts used in this story are original (_duh_). Do not steal. This story takes place just before the end of the manga, during Razu's stay in the Other World, and may contain minor spoilers for the series. **This story has not been beta'd**.

**Missing Flowers**

"I don't get it," Razuludo commented dryly, leaning back where he half sat, half sprawled on the blanket Nakaoji had set out earlier, upper body supported by his elbows as he rolled his eyes up to regard the clear blue sky. Umi looked over from where she was busying herself with the lunches she and her mother had packed for them that morning, setting the food out neatly on the blanket while they waited for her big brother to return with drinks. "They're just _flowers_, and common ones, at that."

"Of course _you_ don't understand the holiday," Umi sneered brushing a lock of her dark brown hair back behind one ear, letting her fingers trail down her neck as she paused thoughtfully, her snide tone dissipating. Razu had been staying with them for almost a year now, and still the conditions of his contract with her were not complete. Then again, she had grown up a lot since then—she was thirteen now, and knew with adolescent certainty that she was very mature for a teenager—and if Razu suddenly got around to killing her elder brother after all this time, it might not be such a good thing, after all. "I guess demons can't appreciate the beauty of flowers, can they? There's probably no _hanami_ in the Demon Realm. . ."

Umi's gaze drifted off her summoned "demon," moving instead to focus on the blooming cherry trees that lined the park path behind them. It was the perfect spring day: a sky without clouds, warm sunshine pouring over them and a slight breeze rustling through the branches, stirring up loose petals along the ground. She should have been smiling, but was not. If she had had a boyfriend, today would have been the best _hanami _ever. But instead, she was here with an inhuman foreigner who refused to follow orders, waiting for the young man responsible for her continued singlehood.

Maybe having Razu kill Nakaouji _was_ still a good plan.

". . .The flowers where I come from are more breath-taking than you could imagine," Razu murmured after a moment of silence, still looking up to the sky. "They come in every shade and hue, size and shape. Their fragrance is sweeter than any perfume, and the skin of their petals is softer than the finest silk. Jeile used to name his lovers after the flowers that grew in the palace gardens, but even the woman I love pales in comparison to their beauty."

Umi felt the blood rising to her cheeks unbidden, her voice stuck in her throat, and a curled hand not quite covering her mouth. She stared at him in shock at this strange confession, not sure if she should say something. She wanted to ask about the woman he was in love with, wanted to know her name and if this mysterious woman was prettier than her. That realization, coupled with the narrowed, haughty glare he gave her, only caused her blush to deepen. What was she thinking? It must have been the spring weather, the date-like atmosphere of sharing a blanket and eating lunch while viewing flowers in the park. She had never before thought of Razu as anything but a demon summoned to do her bidding.

"Don't you dare talk to me about 'not appreciating' beauty. A woman will betray all those who care for her, and a flower will wilt and die in your possession. The problem with loving both the flowers and the women of this world is that in the end, they'll both leave you because no matter what form she takes, she is just another traitorous _whore_."

"R-Razu. . .I—" Umi was interrupted by Nakaouji's timely return.

"Why the long faces, you two?" he asked with that beaming, unassuming smile of his, pushing a strawberry milk carton into her hands as he took his seat between them. He placed two more drinks down on the blanket—a green tea for Razu and a cheap canned coffee for himself—between them. Razu's somber expression softened with a laugh, and he reached out to push at the other boy's shoulder playfully, but was stopped short when Nakaouji caught his hand. His laughter died with a pitifully small choking sound as her brother presented him with a tiny white flower that Umi did not remember growing in this region. "_Like a lily_, wasn't it?"

Razu took the lily quietly, looking like he was torn between cradling it gently against his chest and crushing the delicate plant in his dark hands. Her brother gave him one more tender look before he turned back to her, asking excitedly what it was that she and their mother had packed for them today. He must have thought she was an idiot child to go along with such a blatant change of subject.

Bowing her head as she fiddled idly with the straw of her milk, Umi wondered what she had failed to understand in that exchange, and why she had not seen it coming.


End file.
